Copyright infringement is a serious issue with the masses of information available on the internet. Students, parents and other professionals are all at risk of violating copyright law if they do not understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Teachers need to begin with their own example and specifically teach students how to follow copyright laws.
Understanding Plagiarism
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, plagiarism is the action of stealing the words or ideas of another by putting one's own name on the work or using the words of ideas of another without properly crediting that person. While many people define plagiarism as copying someone else's work, using stronger words such as stealing and theft may help prevent some instances of copyright violation without extra instruction on the issue.
The basic rule that students should be taught and enforced to follow is: give credit where credit is due. They need to write their own papers, properly source any quotations and never quote more than 50 words of a source without written permission from the original author.
Teaching Students About Copyright Infringement
Teaching students to avoid violating copyright law needs to be at the top of every teacher's goals for writing instruction. Regardless of grade level or method of writing instruction, every teacher should spend time specifically teaching students what copyright is and how to avoid plagiarism. To teach students about copyright infringement, teachers should dedicate an entire lesson to the definition of copyright and a clear understanding of how to cite sources.
Lesson on Copyright Violation and Citing Sources
Introduction/Direct Instruction: Ask students how they would feel if they wrote a great story and another student stole the story and told everyone that he had written it. Explain that this is an example of Plagiarism. Find out what students know about plagiarism. Older students who have been introduced to plagiarism before should be able to define what plagiarism is, younger students should be told directly what plagiarism is.
Guided Practice: Have a class discussion to come up with as many different ways someone can steal another person's work. Provide each group with information on copyright law. Ask students to come up with ways to avoid stealing another person's work when doing research for a paper or project. Groups can then share those ideas with the class.
Independent Practice: Students should learn how to properly cite sources. Have students research ways to cite various sources and fill out a worksheet asking for the information. Students can also provide an example of citing sources for a project.
Application/Extension: Students should choose an author to contact and request information regarding copyright violations. Students should ask the author whether they receive many requests to use their work, and what restrictions the author places upon those who are given permission to use the written information. The student can also ask the author to share about an experience with copyright violation and what steps are taken to pursue the stolen work.
No one is exempt from following copyright laws. Teachers, parents, students and professionals in every walk of life are required by law to properly cite sources and not steal material as their own. Teaching students this very important lesson will help to alleviate this very serious problem of plagiarism. Find out more information on copyright violation.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
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